The present invention relates generally to power generation systems, engines, engine controllers, and methods, and more particularly, to remote annunciators and related methods for monitoring engine controllers, and the like.
Many businesses have backup or standby power generation systems to back up power for the businesses in the event of power blackout conditions. Such standby power generation systems comprise a power generator which is coupled to an engine controller, and which is commonly known as a GENSET. Also many buildings are required to have pumps to be able to drive adequate flow to upper floors for fire prevention reasons. Many of them use diesel engines, and they, too, have remote annunciators.
The engine controller may be hard wired to a remote annunciator, which is used to alert a user regarding the condition of the GENSET or to the fact that a problem has occurred with the operation of the power generator or engine controller. The engine controller outputs alarm signals to the remote annunciator, which activates an indicator on a display panel and sounds an alert horn, for example. The conventional remote annunciator is, in essence, a dumb display, which only responds to the alarm signals to provide user alerts.
Some engine controller manufacturers have provided network connections to their engine controllers, allowing access to engine data. Such a design calls for an external computer with dedicated data acquisition software connecting to the controller. While this is reasonable for diagnostic use, it is not appropriate for accessing large numbers of remote GENSETs scattered around the world. It is relatively easy to make such a connection if the computer can be placed on the same subnet as the engine controller, but becomes more complicated otherwise. It becomes extremely difficult to make the connection from the computer to the GENSET if the computer is Internet-connected, outside the firewall protection of the customer LAN. In fact, firewall devices are designed to prevent the very connections that such design requires.